The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor to its Mumbai office on Friday as part of its investigation into the money laundering case involving Mahadev Books. This development follows the attendance of several Bollywood personalities at the wedding ceremony of one of Mahadev Books' promoters, Sourabh Chandrakar, in the UAE.

It is alleged that many celebrities endorsed Mahadev Books' mobile gaming application in exchange for substantial payments. The lavish wedding ceremony of Chandrakar in Dubai, attended by numerous Bollywood celebrities, came under scrutiny. The ED uncovered details of payments for hotels and transportation during its searches conducted last month.

Reportedly, Mahadev Books spent approximately Rs 200 crore on the Dubai wedding, including hiring private jets to transport family members from Nagpur to the UAE. The investigation revealed that celebrities were hired for performances at the wedding, with wedding planners, dancers, decorators, and others hired from Mumbai. Hawala channels were used for cash payments.

Based on digital evidence, the ED traced Rs 112 crore delivered via hawala to an events management company called R-1 Events Pvt Ltd, owned by Yogesh Popat. Additionally, hotel bookings totaling Rs 42 crore were paid in cash in AEDs. The ED claimed that searches conducted at the premises of Popat and related organizers resulted in the seizure of unaccounted cash amounting to Rs 2.37 crore.

The ED also asserted that numerous celebrities endorsed betting entities and performed at their functions, receiving substantial fees through dubious transactions ultimately funded by online betting proceeds.

Furthermore, the ED conducted searches at Rapid Travels, owned by Dheeraj Ahuja and Vishal Ahuja in Bhopal. This company was responsible for ticketing operations for Mahadev APP promoters, their family, business associates, and celebrities endorsing betting websites. The ED alleged that illicit cash earnings from betting panels were cleverly deposited by the Ahuja brothers with the main ticket providers, and the wallet balance was used to book domestic and international tickets.

The ED identified other major players involved in the money laundering operations of the Mahadev Online Book App, including Vikash Chhaparia based in Kolkata. Chhaparia, with the assistance of Govid Kedia, invested heavily in the Indian stock market through Foreign Portfolio Investment (FPI) routes. The ED has frozen cash derivatives and security holdings worth Rs 236.3 crore in entities beneficially owned by Chhaparia under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA). Additionally, assets worth Rs 160 crore in DEMAT holdings of Kedia have been frozen by ED. Searches at Kedia's premises also resulted in the seizure of Indian currency amounting to Rs 18 lakh, gold, and jewelry valued at Rs 13 crore.

The ED is investigating Mahadev Online Book Betting App, which is suspected to be an umbrella syndicate facilitating illegal betting websites, user enrollment, creation of user IDs, and money laundering through benami bank accounts.

In the coming days, the ED is expected to question many celebrities who attended Chandrakar's ceremony in Dubai. The agency had previously announced the seizure of Rs 417 crore following searches in Kolkata, Bhopal, Mumbai, and other cities linked to the Mahadev App money laundering networks.